Tree stand

ABSTRACT

A shallow saucer-like pan has a protrusion at its center for supporting a Christmas tree base. Channel-shaped downwardly inclined socket members attached to the bottom of the pan extend outwardly to its periphery. Supplementary support members slide within the socket members and effectively extend them, the members being held in fixed relationship by interengaging protrusions and openings on their respective surfaces. Tension cords, which are spring tightened and adjustable in length by slidable take-up devices, serve to connect the outer extremities of the supplementary support members with the Christmas tree shaft to position and support it.

O United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,861,629

Merrill Jan. 21, 1975 [5 TREE STAND 3,480,241 11/1969 Moyer 248/44 [76] Inventor: Walter B. Merrill, 103 Salem Rd.,

New Canaan Conn 06840 Primary Examiner-W1ll1am H. Schultz Attorney, Agent, or FirmSt. Onge Mayers Steward & [22] Filed: May 23, 1973 Reens [21] Appl. No.: 363,042

[57] ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl. 248/44 A shallow saucer-like pan has a protrusion at its cen- [51] Int. Cl A47g 33/12 ter for supporting a Christmas tree base. Channel- [58] Field Of Search shaped downwardly inclined socket members attached /107 to the bottom of the pan extend outwardly to its periphery. Supplementary support members slide within [56] References Cited the socket members and effectively extend them, the

UNITED STATES PATENTS members being held in fixed relationship by interen- 2 260932 /1941 Chulich et a1. 248/44 gaging protrusions Openings their respectiveg: 3/1943 403/107 surfaces. Tension cords, which are spring tightened 2,722,970 11/1955 Stechmann 403/107 x and adjustable in length y ab e a ep de ces, 2,904,291 9/1959 Harber et al 248/44 serve to connect the outer extremities of the supple- 2,908,461 10/1959 Coffeen 248/44 mentary support members with the Christmas tree 3,142,464 7/1964 Zelenitz 248/151 X h ft to o ition and support it. 3,227,405 1/1966 Layton 248/44 3,350,043 10/1967 Apple 248/48 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 5Z\ 4 t i 54 l I], K E s I f 56 4; FR "illg T IIIII (til 1'' I iuiumnmt Hum/11511 C l 75 a 51 30a 50 PATENIEDJANZ 1 I915 3,861 .629

SHEET 2 BF 2 TREE STAND The present invention concerns improvements in tree stands of the kind employed for temporary support of Christmas trees and the like.

BACKGROUND AND GENERAL DESCRIPTION While many Christmas tree stands are commercially available, there is a continuing demand for improvement in their stability, ease of use and convenience of storage. If is an object of the present invention to serve this demand by the provision of a readily erectable multi-part support assembly which, in assembled condition, is extremely stable and capable of being coupled to a Christmas tree of any house-usable size with maximum ease and flexibility of adjustment.

In broadest terms, my improved support assembly comprises a dished or saucer-like part adapted to support the base of a Christmas tree; three or more radially directed socket structures on the under surface of the saucer-like part; supplementary support members adapted to be inserted within the socket structures and to extend outwardly beyond the periphery of the saucer-like part, and tension means (e.g., tensionproducing cords or the like) having hook-on attachment devices for readily connecting the extremities of the support members to an intermediate part of the tree trunk.

The particulars of the invention may be readily understood by considering the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view showing some of the principal elements of the invention in their intended assembly;

FIG. 2 is a side view in which the elements of FIG. 1 are shown coacting with the remaining elements of the invention in the actual support of a Christmas tree;

FIG. 3 is a section detail of FIG. 2 taken along a line corresponding to 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4a is a section taken on line 4a-4a of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a detailed perspective view of a take-up device to be used in connection with one feature of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown the upper surface of a dished or saucer-like pan 10. This has an outwardly flared rim b, as shown more clearly in FIG. 2. It is important for reasons to be developed at a slightly later point that the upward extension of the rim 10b be a small fraction (on the order of IO percent) of the diameter of the pan 10. Also as shown in FIG. 2, there is provided at the central region of the pan a circular depression at the center of which there occurs an upwardly directed protrusion formed, for example, by welding to the bottom of the pan a pair of appropriately bent and interlocking metal strips 19a and 19b, these being shown in cross-section in FIG. 3. The protrusion (that is to say, the combination of the metal strips 19a and 19b) may be provided at its geometrical center (corresponding to the center of the pan 10) with a small hole 20 as is suggested in FIG. 3. This can be used to receive the head of a nail or like centering means which has been driven into the base of a Christmas tree truck which is to be supported by the pan l0 and its associated parts. By these means, the tree base can be engaged and held against lateral motion,

even though it may have been cut slant-wise as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The protrusion is preferably of less diameter than the predictable diameter of any shaft which may be supported within the pan 10 so that a significant portion of the surface of the shaft extremity will be freely exposed to water or other fluid that may be placed in the pan.

Stable support for the pan 10 is provided by an assembly of elements now to be described. Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the pan has secured to its lower surface by welding or otherwise a number (at least 3) of radially extending channel members 30 having a U- shaped cross-sectional configuration as indicated in FIGS. 4 and 40. These members are pressure deformed near their inner extremities to provide each of them with a depressed inclined surface as indicated at 300 in FIG. 2; the deformation also resulting in broadening the affected areas of the channel members as indicated at 31 in FIG. 1. The result is that although the surfaces 30a fit solidly against the underside of the centrally depressed portion 15 of the pan 10 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the remainder of each channel is inclined slightly downwardly in the outward direction so that it forms an angle a few degrees greater than with the upwardly projected central axis of the pan. To facilitate compact storage of the pan and associated parts, the channel members 30 should extend approximately to, but not significantly beyond, the periphery of the pan 10.

In addition to the channel members 30, the support assembly of the present invention further includes a plurality of elongated supplementary support members 35, equal in number to the channel members. These supplementary members may also be of U-shaped cross-section as shown in FIG. 4 and they are of such dimensions as to fit readily and interchangeably within the open channels extending lengthwise of the members 30. The supplementary members 35 are preferably flanged at their edges as indicated at 35a in FIGS. 4 and 4a so that, when inserted in inverted position in the members 30, they are restrained against substantial lateral motion within them.

In setting up the support assembly, the supplementary members 35 simply are slid lengthwise into the channel members 30. In order to facilitate their precise location within the latter members, each of the members 30 may be provided with a succession of transversely aligned pairs of openings 30d as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 3. On the other hand, the supplementary members 35 are provided with laterally spaced downwardly extending projections 35b punched out of their lateral flanges as variously illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4a. These projections are so sized as readily to interfit with the similarly spaced openings 30d.

As previously stated, the members 35 fit loosely within the members 30. Therefore, it is necessary in order to achieve interlocking of the two members that means be provided for biasing the projections 35b into the openings 30d when the support assembly is in loaded connection. This is accomplished in a simple and preferred way by providing across the open uppermost side of each of the channel members 30 at or near its outer end a transverse barrier which lies close to (although slightly spaced from) the upper surface of the supplementary member 35 which is inserted into that channel member. As will be seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and 4a, this barrier is provided by bracing members 40 interposed between the outer lip 10b of the pan l0 and the underlying upper surface of the channel members 30. To secure each bracing member 40 in place it is provided with an upper perpendicular flange 40a and a lower perpendicular flange 40b, the former being welded or otherwise attached to the rim b and the latter being welded or otherwise attached to the upper surface of the outwardly extending flange 30a of the corresponding channel member 30. Depending vertically from the outer extremity of each of the flanges 40b are spaced metal tabs or prongs 40c (FIGS. 4 and 4a) which extend partially across the opening of the associated channel member 30 in immediate proximity to it, but which still leave a central opening of such dimensions as readily to admit into the channel the supplementary support member 35.

Because the part 402 of the bracing member 40 which extends between the tabs 40c lies close to the upper surface of the associated supplementary support member 35 as indicated in FIGS. 4 and 40, it will be understood that this bridging part and the floor of the support member provide opposed fulcra about which the member 35 may be rocked slightly in the vertical plane. Accordingly, as the member 35 is initially inserted into the channel 30 (i.e., during assembly of the multi-part support structure) it may be tilted up slightly so that the projections 35b clear the entrance boundaries and slide freely along the floor of the channel 30. On the other hand, as these projections encounter the first set of openings 30d formed in the fulcrum of the channel, they will tend to drop into these openings unless the projecting portion of the member 35 is tilted in the downward direction sufficiently to produce a clearance which enables the member 35 to move still further into the channel 30. When the projections 35b have reached that set of the openings 30d in which, for purposes of the particular assembly being formed, they are desired to be engaged, they will be allowed to drop into place, thus at least temporarily fixing the location of the supplementary support member. When each of the three members 35 has been similarly engaged within its associated channel member and the assembly, as thus far formed, has been placed upon a floor or other supporting surface, it will be seen that the weight of the pan 10 and its associated parts will cause the forces acting on the outer extremities of the members 35 to move those extremities in the upward direction against the fulcrum surfaces 40e, thus positively retaining the projections 35d in the openings in which they are then engaged. Accordingly the various supporting parts will become in effect a rigid assembly.

To relate the base assembly as so far described to the actual support of a christmas tree or similar article, there are attached to or near the outer extremities of the supplementary support members 35 tension means for effectively connecting those extremities with the shaft of the article to be supported. For this purpose the present invention provides a set of cords 50, each of more than sufficient length for the purpose, and each provided at one end with a loop 52 (FIG. 2) by which it may be coupled either permanently or detachably to a short tension spring 54. At the other extremity this spring is attached either by a hook-on or snap-on arrangement to a hold-down tab 56 formed integrally with or secured to the supper surface of the associated support members 35. At the extremity remote from the spring 54 the cord 50 is provided with a double-ended hook 58, one end of which is secured to the terminus of the cord and the other end of which is free to be hooked to another portion of the cord after the cord is passed around a Christmas tree (or other) shaft as suggested at 25a in FIG. 2. In forming the cord loop which is to encircle the shaft 25, it will ordinarily be advantageous, as suggestively indicated in FIG. 2, to locate each loop above one of the Christmas tree limbs in a region significantly removed from the base of the Christmas tree shaft and from the saucer-like part 10 so that, first of all, considerable supporting leverage can be exerted on the shaft and, secondly, so that slippage of the cord in the downward direction will be prevented.

In order that the relative lengths and degrees of relative tension of the several cords 50 may be adjusted after these cords are initially secured to the tree shaft 25, each cord is further provided with a take-up device located as indicated in FIG. 5. As is shown in the latter Figure, the extremity of the cord 50 which is associated with the loop 52 is threaded through a small opening 61 provided in the take-up 60 and is retained there by formation of a knot 63 of sufficient size to prevent slippage through the opening. Prior to tightening the cord, the other side of the loop is allowed to lie along the underside of the take-up device 60 and is then carried to the upper side of the device through an opening 69. Tightening is accomplished by moving the device 60 in the left hand direction until a desired tension is produced, whereupon the cord may be pulled out sidewise, then up and over a raised shoulder 65 formed as part of the take-up device. Being under tension, it will be locked in this position be falling into the notch 67 as illustrated in FIG. 5. By following this procedure, it will be found that the take-up device may readily be moved from right to left to increase the tension on the cord 50, but that, once reasonable tension has been established and the cord has been locked as shown in FIG. 5, it cannot be loosened without further manual manipulation. By successively adjusting the length and tension of the several cords 50, both the uprightness and the degree of support of the tree shaft 25 can quickly be regulated as desired. Moreover. the effective length of each of the cords 50 can easily be changed to accommodate the various optionally selectable extensions of the supplementary support parts 35.

The multi-part support assembly described above has been found in practice to have extraordinary stability because of the wide extension of the support base which is provided by use of the supplementary support members 35. For the support of a small tree these can be locked in their condition of minimum extension so that the floor area which they occupy will be no more than commensurate with the spread of the tree itself. On the other hand, where a very large tree is to be supported, full extension may be resorted to and a base of correspondingly increased dimensions thus provided. Once the preliminary assembly of the pan I0 and the extension members 35 has been established, erection upon the base thus created of even a relatively large tree is greatly facilitated by the ease of attachment and adjustment of the cords 50. Finally, storage of the component parts of the overall assembly is simplified by the fact that in disassembled condition, all parts can be packaged within a space no larger than that required to store the pan 10 itself.

The convenience of assembly and storage which has been described depends in important part upon the relative shaping and dimensioning of components already emphasized. That is to say, it is important, as has previously been indicated, that the downward inclination of the socket-forming channel members 30 be only a few degrees and that the rim of the pan be slight in relation to the diameter of the pan. If these conditions are not realized, the rim edge will interpose itself between the outer attachment points of the cords 50 and the region of convenient coupling of their opposite ends with the tree shaft 25, and the ready assembly of the tree and stand will be hindered. Moreover, if the channel members 30 extend significantly beyond the periphery of the pan 10, the storage space required for this component will be unnecessarily increased.

While the invention has been described by reference to a specific embodiment thereof, it will be understood that numerous variations of detail are possible without departure from the invention and that the following claims are intended to cover all equivalents which fall within the inventions true spirit and scope.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A multi-part support assembly for an article which includes a vertical shaft, which assembly comprises:

A. a saucer-like part having means for engaging and holding against lateral motion the lower extremity of the articles shaft;

B. at least three elongated socket-providing members engaging the under surface of the saucer-like part and extending radially outward toward the periphery of that part, said members being angularly distributed about the saucer-like part and presenting open ends at their outer extremities;

C. a plurality of elongated supplementary support members equal in number to the socket-providing members and sized l. to enter the socket-providing members through their open ends and become engaged therein and 2. to extend outwardly beyond the outer extremities of the socket-providing members, and

D. tension means engageable with the outer extremities of each of the several supplementary support members for connecting those extremities with the shaft to be supported at a region above the level of the saucer-like part;

E. each of the socket-providing members 1. being inclined slightly downwardly from the innermost region of its engagement with the saucer-like part towards its outermost extremity;

2. being provided near and above its open end with a fulcrum surface which exerts a localized holddown force on the supplementary support member engaged within that socket-providing member; and

3. having in its bottom floor one or more depressions significantly spaced from its open end; and

F. each of the supplementary members having near the end intended for entry into the socketproviding member a downward protrusion adapted to fit within any of the said depressions in the socket-providing members, whereby the weight impressed by the saucer-like part on each supplementary support member tends to rotate that member about the associated fulcrum surface and thus to lock the members protrusion into the appropriate depression.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 in which A. the cross-section of each supplementary support member is of inverted U-shape and is provivded with lateral flanges at the opening of the U; and

B. each downward protrusion comprises a projection struck out of one of said lateral flanges.

3. A multi-part support assembly for an article which includes a vertical shaft, which assembly comprises:

A. a saucer-like part having means for engaging and holding against lateral motion the lower extremity of the articles shaft; B. at least three elongated socket-providing support members engaging the under surface of the saucerlike part and extending radially outward toward the periphery of that part, said members being angularly distributed about the saucer-like part and presenting open ends at their outer extremities; C. a plurality of elongated supplementary support members equal in number to the socket-providing members and formed 1. to enter the socket-providing support members through their open ends and become engaged therein and 2. to extend outwardly beyond the outer extremities of the socket-providing support members to a plane lying below the open ends of such sup port members; and D. tension means engageable with the outer extremities of each of the several supplementary support members for connecting those extremities with the shaft to be supported at a region above the level of the saucer-like part; E. each of the socket-providing members 1. being provided near and above its open end with a fulcrum surface which exerts a localized holddown force on the supplementary'support member engaged within that socket-providing member; and

2. having in its bottom floor one or more engageable deformations significantly spaced from its open end; and

F. each of the supplementary members having near the end intended for entry into a socket-providing member a downwardly directed complementary engageable deformation adapted to interfit with any one of the said engageable deformations in the selected socket-providing member, whereby the weight impressed by the saucer-like part on each supplementary support member tends to rotate that member about the associated fulcrum surface and thus to interlock the several interfitting en gageable deformations. 

1. A multi-part support assembly for an article which includes a vertical shaft, which assembly comprises: A. a saucer-like part having means for engaging and holding against lateral motion the lower extremity of the articles shaft; B. at least three elongated socket-providing members engaging the under surface of the saucer-like part and extending radially outward toward the periphery of that part, said members being angularly distributed about the saucer-like part and presenting open ends at their outer extremities; C. a plurality of elongated supplementary support members equal in number to the socket-providing members and sized
 1. to enter the socket-providing members through their open ends and become engaged therein and
 2. to extend outwardly beyond the outer extremities of the socket-providing members, and D. tension means engageable with the outer extremities of each of the several supplementary support members for connecting those extremities with the shaft to be supported at a region above the level of the saucer-like part; E. each of the socket-providing members
 1. being inclined slightly downwardly from the innermost region of its engagement with the saucer-like part towards its outermost extremity;
 2. being provided near and above its open end with a fulcrum surface which exerts a localized hold-down force on the supplementary support member engaged within that socketproviding member; and
 3. having in its bottom floor one or more depressions significantly spaced from its open end; and F. each of the supplementary members having near the end intended for entry into the socket-providing member a downward protrusion adapted to fit within any of the said depressions in the socket-providing members, whereby the weight impressed by the saucer-like part on each supplementary support member tends to rotate that member about the associated fulcrum surface and thus to lock the member''s protrusion into the appropriate depression.
 2. having in its bottom floor one or more engageable deformations significantly spaced from its open end; and F. each of the supplementary members having near the end intended for entry into a socket-providing member a downwardly directed complementary engageable deformation adapted to interfit with any one of the said engageable deformations in the selected socket-providing member, whereby the weight impressed by the saucer-like part on each supplementary support member tends to rotate that member about the associated fulcrum surface and thus to interlock the several interfitting engageable deformations.
 2. to extend outwardly beyond the outer extremities of the socket-providing support members to a plane lying below the open ends of such support members; and D. tension means engageable with the outer extremities of each of the several sUpplementary support members for connecting those extremities with the shaft to be supported at a region above the level of the saucer-like part; E. each of the socket-providing members
 2. to extend outwardly beyond the outer extremities of the socket-providing members, and D. tension means engageable with the outer extremities of each of the several supplementary support members for connecting those extremities with the shaft to be supported at a region above the level of the saucer-like part; E. each of the socket-providing members
 2. being provided near and above its open end with a fulcrum surface which exerts a localized hold-down force on the supplementary support member engaged within that socket-providing member; and
 2. An assembly according to claim 1 in which A. the cross-section of each supplementary support member is of inverted U-shape and is provivded with lateral flanges at the opening of the U; and B. each downward protrusion comprises a projection struck out of one of said lateral flanges.
 3. A multi-part support assembly for an article which includes a vertical shaft, which assembly comprises: A. a saucer-like part having means for engaging and holding against lateral motion the lower extremity of the article''s shaft; B. at least three elongated socket-providing support members engaging the under surface of the saucer-like part and extending radially outward toward the periphery of that part, said members being angularly distributed about the saucer-like part and presenting open ends at their outer extremities; C. a plurality of elongated supplementary support members equal in number to the socket-providing members and formed
 3. having in its bottom floor one or more depressions significantly spaced from its open end; and F. each of the supplementary members having near the end intended for entry into the socket-providing member a downward protrusion adapted to fit within any of the said depressions in the socket-providing members, whereby the weight impressed by the saucer-like part on each supplementary support member tends to rotate that member about the associated fulcrum surface and thus to lock the member''s protrusion into the appropriate depression. 